More than 2,200 people got up early Saturday morning to participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.
They gathered around Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas where NBC 5 Today anchor Mark Hayes emceed and NBC 5 News at 5pm Anchor and Consumer Investigative Reporter Deanna Dewberry shared her story of being a three-time cancer survivor.
“I had treatment all the way through 2011," said Dewberry. "[I] had the chemo, had the double mastectomy, had more chemo. And I can say, two years out, I am happy, I am healthy, and I am cancer free,” she said to a cheering audience.
Grapevine resident Claudia Wyngaarde was among the faces cheering on the walkers.
“It’s amazing to see how much support we get,” she said. “And at the same time I realize we’re not alone. We have all this support behind us to keep us moving.”
Wyngaarde said she was diagnosed with breast cancer last November. She is a mother of a 12-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.
“I want to be here for them, and I want this to make it a long way. So it’s just a life changing episode when you hear the word,” she said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
She also added that events like Making Strides Against Breast Cancer are really making a difference in her life.
“Medication I’m taking right now is actually rather new. It was found five years ago. So, continue the support, yes,” she said.
Wyngaarde said feeding off the energy of the thousands of walkers was just as important as cheering them on. “I realized that, 'OK, it’s real' and I can fight. And I’ll win. I want to win,” she said.
The event raised a total of more than $130,000 for the American Cancer Society.
